EFCC VS YAHAYA BELLO; THE SHAME OF A NATION.
My thoughts.
By Otori Ozigi
I have decided reluctantly to add my voice to the latest needless melodramatic criminal jurisprudence playing out between the EFCC and the immediate past governor of Kogi State,Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello over a simple matter of alleged financial infraction level against the former governor.
This particular episode have the capacity to again portray Nigeria in bad light in the intentional community if not properly handled by the EFCC.
To my own understanding,I strongly believe that the way and manner the antigraft agency is going about the case fall short of professionalism and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Nobody can convince me that it is right for the EFCC to hastily over indulged itself in gestapo and gangsterism and unnecessary showmanship in their bid to put the former governor on trial for alleged fraudulent charges while he held sway in office as the governor of Kogi state.
There are many fundamental questions begging for answers from the EFCC.
First,why did the agency begin the case through series of media trials of Alhaji YAhaya Bello even while he was still in office?
Is that in tandem with international best practice?
The answer is no.
We are living in twenty first century and in a beautiful democratic dispensation and not in the dark ages of military rules where anything goes.
My candid advice for the EFCC is that the agency should reengineer itself in the spirit of modern way of prosecuting criminal cases.
If they are serious about putting the former governor on trial for any alleged offence they should do so in accordance with the rule of law.
They should have invited him formally first just like every other high profile and politically exposed Nigerians that the agency had put on trials in the past in this country.
The former governor is not a common criminal like the Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal elements disturbing the peace of this country with reckless abandone.
My advice for the former governor is to submit himself and go and clear himself of the allegations levelled against him.
As a law abiding citizen he should go to court and clear himself.
The offence to the best of my knowledge as a former veteran crime correspondent with the Graphics newspaper is a bailable one.
There are former governors like Chief Ayodele Fayose who have gone through EFCC palaver and now enjoying their freedom while they are still facing trials in the law court
Nobody dies in the hands of EFCC while facing trials.
I can assure Yahaya Bello of the safety of his life.
If anything untoward happens to him that would be end of Nigeria.
The whole Ebira sons and daughters would rise up to demand for justice.
I,Otori Ozigi,would be ready to lead the war.
We are not cowards.
Nobody should take our civility and lawful disposition for granted.
Enough is enough for the wise.
Otori Ozigi is a veteran journalist from Okene,Kogi State.